


City of Dreamers

by KamiWanderer



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Mental Health Issues, Reader-Insert, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KamiWanderer/pseuds/KamiWanderer
Summary: Spinel wants to stay on Earth, she really does, but staying with Steven would be too painful…She needs somewhere she can blend in, and have time to truly work out who she is, and what she wants.See end for extra notes!
Relationships: Spinel (Steven Universe)/Reader
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55





	1. Intro- Move In Day

With a click, Spinel closed the door. After a mere three hours of attempting to say goodbye to the Crystal Gems they had finally left her to her new apartment. She smiled softly, it was good to know they cared.   
Spinel stood there, unsure for the first time that day, and turned to look at the new apartment… her new apartment. Steven had been nice enough to take her on an overwhelming trip to IKEA a couple days ago so it was looking homey, and noticeably absent of anything pink.   
She sighed, wrapping her limbs around her in a hug and plopping onto the new couch. Steven had, in a helpful way, pointed out every pink accented furniture on their trip, and Spinel had silently grimaced at every single one.   
Despite, well, being entirely pink she didn’t want her whole place to echo her time on Homeworld.   
Her time with Pink.   
Every room, every ship of hers had been that hue, and now Spinel wanted a space that didn’t feel like some sick, suffocating shrine to her.   
She let out a groan and shoved a cream-coloured pillow over her face. She’d come here to escape thinking about all that, to try and carve out a life all of her own.   
The gem smirked slightly into the pillow, remembering Steven’s shocked face when she had suggested moving to a city all by herself here on Earth.

A light noise on the edge of her hearing reached her ears. Leaping up in surprise with a whirl of her limbs Spinel suddenly realised what the sound was: rain, softly pattering against the glass doors in the kitchen that led to the small balcony.   
She padded through to the doors and turned the key in excitement. She’d stayed with Steven long enough to understand Earth concepts like this, but this was still only the third or fourth time she’d experienced rain.   
Spinel slid the door smoothly and held out her gloved hand, letting the raindrops soak through to her skin. She stretched her arm across to grab one of the plastic chairs already placed out here and dragged it to the railing of the balcony, sitting down to lean over as her pigtails flattened to the back of her head.   
Spots of colour bloomed on the streets below as people opened up various umbrellas. The fast-forming puddles shone like mirrors and reflected the yellow beams of light from the passing cars.   
Buildings across from Spinel blinked their lights on, showing small, capsulated scenes of individuals lives. A family having dinner, a teenager typing furiously on a laptop, a human snuggled up with a cat on their lap and a steaming mug in their hand.   
Spinel smiled to herself, being surrounded by so many people felt…nice. She was never truly alone here, there was always something to see, something to hear, ever-changing.   
Her gem lit up in a fractal of light, catching her attention. The clouds were clearing and a stray beam of sunlight had shot its way towards her, warming her in a way she’d never remembered feeling.   
Spinel looked down at the street below once more, knowing already that she’d made the right choice to move here.


	2. Chapter 2: Big City Lifestyle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel goes clothes shopping and settles into her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Let me know what y'all think. Im still trying to do some world building before moving things on to any sort of romance so stay tuned for the intro of Y/N in the next chapter! Big shout out to people who left kudos love y'all.

Spinel wakes to a tangled knot of pink limbs.  
‘Oh for cryin’ out loud…’  
She grumbles to herself, stretching her arms back into place at her sides. She’d honestly prefer sleepwalking to wrapping herself up in a death-grip hug, it would seem less pathetic at least.  
She sighs and blows some of her stray magenta hair out of her face, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. Steven, of course, had gotten her into sleeping. There was something comforting about it, some time to try and escape any anxious thoughts.  
As soon as her eyes properly clear she freezes, sitting up in bed abruptly.  
‘Where the hell-  
Oh.  
Stupid, you live here now.’  
Spinel groans and swings her legs over the side of the bed, pretending she didn’t just forget where on Earth she was. She blearily snaps the fingers on her gloved hand, and in a soft shimmer of light her hair is back into its normal pigtails. That was one perk of being a gem at least.  
As she stood her own movement catches her eye in the mirror on the wall across the room. Spinel steps closer, ghosting a hand over her gemstone as her reflection does the same, taking in the familiar scuffs and scars still left faintly on the surface. She gazes at these with tired eyes; looking at them would never bring her good memories.  
She looks into her own reflected eyes with a challenge, her black tear marks contorting with her frown.  
‘These wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you anyway, s’not like ya got anyone else to blame this time.’  
She turns away quickly and strides into the kitchen, frowning slightly.  
Early morning light seeps in through the balcony door, lighting up the sitting room and kitchen. At least the weather was treating her kindly. 

Rifling through the cabinets in the kitchen Spinel pulls out a mug and turns it over to read “World’s Best Human”. She smiles fondly at this, a moving day present from Amethyst.  
Idly stretching one hand to the fridge she pulls out a bottle of orange juice and pours it in.  
She pulls the balcony door and- oops, left it unlocked.  
’S’not like any human could do much I guess’  
She mutters with a roll of her eyes. The weather today is perfect, the deep blue sky patterned by jet trails here and there above the towering buildings of the city, all quietly winking in the sunlight.  
The ambient noise washes over her as she lazily tries to pick out certain sounds here and there. A siren, the murmur of people on the street chatting, music blaring on a passing cars speakers. The smell of hot tar under the rising sun also reaches its way up to her balcony.  
Spinel leans over the railing downing her juice. 

Here and there on the street she occasionally spots other Gems, who are getting less and less unusual to see outside of Beach City, although there still aren’t many.  
Something obvious strikes her then as she gazes down at the crowds.  
Everyone, even Gems, are dressed in various human clothing.  
‘Ohh duh, why didn’t I think of that sooner?’  
Remembering to actually lock the door this time Spinel pads to the front door, phasing her keys into her gem for safekeeping.  
‘Guess tha’ first thing to do is clothes shoppin’.’  
She muses to herself, casting a quick look around her apartment before clicking the door shut on her way out. 

Her first steps out are…overwhelming. The white noise of the city rolls over her in waves as she stands on the apartment complex doorstep.  
Wringing her gloved hands together she mumbles to herself  
“Keep it together…ya dingus you’re fine!”  
She squares her jaw, brows furrowing and takes a few slow, deep breaths; trying to remember the mindfulness tricks Garnet taught her.  
“Ya only came out here for one thing, it’ll be easy!”  
And with that she steps out into the flow of people in the street.  
After being in Beach City she’s still not used to just how many people are in the big city. The sights, the sounds, the colours blur into a kaleidoscope that dances in front of her, making the gem feel dizzy.  
Car horns blare and a passing dog barks in retaliation, someone smoking strolls past, making her cough, as a child on her other side points excitedly towards her. Now that she thinks about it, quite a few people do a double take to stare at her. She grimaces in return to this thought and phases her phone out of her gem in a ball of light. The child that’s watching her squeals in delight as their tired parent drags them along by the arm, Spinel can’t help but smile at that.  
She quickly starts tapping in the name of a clothing store Steven had mentioned into her phone, happy to find it only about a fifteen minute walk from where she was.  
She squares her shoulders and sets off, weaving through the crowds of people, trying to ignore any curious glances.  
As she waits at a crossing she notices a broad-shouldered Topaz further up the pavement, lugging along various shopping bags. She gives them a quick wave, glad to not be the only gem around the city. They respond with a nod, giving her the hint of a smile as they walk on by.  
The beeping of the crossing signal and the surge of the crowd brings her attention back and she dashes across the road, eyeing up the cars warily. 

Catching her breath she stumbles out of the current of the crowd to stand in front of a two story clothing store.  
She eyes the doors cautiously before jumping in surprise as they slide open, before frowning to herself. She perfectly knew what automatic doors were! They just didn’t have many in Beach City…  
Now that she was actually here she had no idea where to start. What would even look good on her?  
Spinel rolls her eyes a little and sticks out her tongue in displeasure as she walks past an array of frilly, pom-pom style dresses.  
Nope, feminine clothing really wasn’t for her, and reminded her a little too much of Pink.  
She wanders through the various aisles, at least grateful for the air conditioning in here, feeling it ruffle through her pigtails as she walked.  
Suddenly something catches her eye.  
It’s a leather jacket, jet black but with an embroidered pattern of seagulls on the back. Spinel picks it up and holds it gently in her gloved hands, it reminds her of the beach by Steven’s home.  
Slinging it over her arm she considers what else she should even wear, and settles for a simple button up she strolls past, adding it to the jacket on her arm. At least with this she can undo a few buttons so her gem wouldn’t be completely covered.  
“I guess I should…try these on?”  
As if by magic, a salesperson seemingly materialises next to her as she muses this out loud, making her jump slightly in surprise.  
“Hey there!! Looking for changing rooms? They’re just on your left round this aisle!”  
“O-oh. Thanks.”  
Spinel replies awkwardly, showing too much of her gums in her returning smile. She turns swiftly and strides off before she can get a response, a light blush darkening her cheeks. She really really needs to practice socialising with humans. The gem quickly finds the changing rooms and ducks behind the curtain, standing in front of the full-size mirror inside.  
A slightly frazzled looking gem stares back at her, one hand fiddling with the clothing anxiously.  
“Ya doing fine Spinel…”  
She states, watching her reflection utter the words back to her.  
To give her hands something to do she pulls on the shirt and starts buttoning it up, leaving a couple undone so the top half of her gem pokes out slightly.  
She shrugs on the jacket and twists so she can see the pattern in the mirror.  
“Hey…this actually looks alright, who’dve guessed.”  
She gives her reflection a toothy smile, tear markings crinkling up on her cheeks. Maybe there was hope for a normal life yet.  
The gem makes quick work of taking the clothes back off and strolls out to find a till.  
Paying ends up being pretty painless as she’d already stored some money away in her gems.  
She pauses at the doors back out onto the street and dons her new clothes, hoping she’d garner less stares with these on.  
Spinel stuffs her hands into the jacket pockets, happy to have something to do with her hands and strides back out the store in the direction of her apartment.  
Things have slowed slightly out here and the setting sun starts to melt the surrounding buildings into beautiful orange hues. Passing cars dazzle her eyes as the catch the rays of the sun. People walking around her are followed by long, low shadows lazily flowing along the pavement.  
She takes a more meandering way back, passing through a quiet park just near her apartment block. The trees in full leaf nod their branches slowly at her as she passes, and her gem winks like a star as she walks under the dappled light on the path. She can smell the thick, heady scent of flowers in bloom and passes under the cherry trees lining the far side of the path, blossoms delicately speckling her jacket. The gem spots a sprig of cherry that’s fallen near the side of the path and picks it up, smiling gently at the flowers.  
Maybe some pink is alright, she thinks as she heads out the park, turning the blossom around in her hands, spotting the apartment block soon after. 

Spinel quickly phases her keys out of her gem and slots them into the lock, shoving the door open with her palm.  
The apartment looks just like she left it, although painted as if with honey from the sunset sliding through her glass doors.  
She kicks the door shut behind her with her foot and heads to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and filling it over the sink. She gently places the sprig of cherry in it and smiles softly, moving the glass over to the table to let it catch the light.  
You know what? Today has been a pretty good day really.


	3. Chapter 3: Sweet Tooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives shift as we meet Y/N, and Spinel tries coffee for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I had fun with this chapter, it's a slightly longer one too. Shifted to Y/N's first person perspective for when they meet Spinel for the first time! Let me know what you guys think, and thanks again for everyone who left Kudos!

You wake up to the sun positively assaulting your eyelids through your incredibly threadbare curtains.  
Futilely, you try to sleep for a few moments more before sighing in defeat, and rolling over to find your phone.  
Fumbling your hand over the bedside table you finally grasp your phone and squint in pain at the bright light, stating that it’s just past eight in the morning.  
Luckily for you it’s two hours before you need to be in the cafe, not that you’re going to use this time effectively or anything. 

A mere hour and a quarter later you’re scrambling around frantically in the fridge for any suitable breakfast material, eventually settling on fried egg on toast.  
You haphazardly cook this up, shoving it in your mouth almost before it hits the plate. Rushing to eat toast before you’re late to work makes you feel like a shitty anime protagonist, something that makes you laugh to yourself as you tug on your beat up boots.  
You take a second to look in the mirror by your front door, ever grateful at how fast your short hair dries after a shower.  
Flinging your backpack over your shoulder you make a mental checklist of everything you need before leaving the house, and you’re finally out the door.  
Shit- wallet.  
And you’re back through the door. 

After attempt two you’ve make it out the flat for real, with only fifteen minutes to spare, you remind yourself as you lug your bicycle out of the side alley and into the light of day.  
You grimace at the sea of rust and spiderwebs that seem to permanently adorn your bike, swinging one leg over regardless.  
You’re finally on your way, relishing in the sights and sounds of the city despite how late you are.  
Everything becomes a blur of white noise and colour as you push how fast your shitty bicycle can go, whizzing down through one of the posher neighbourhoods. This street was one of your favourites to cycle on, as the road was flanked on either side by an avenue of towering lime trees, as well as being mostly empty of traffic at this time of day.  
You let go of the handlebars and lean back so you can better admire the foliage above, enjoying the dappled green light being cast down on you.  
You’re quickly jarred out of this appreciation however as you swerve to avoid a pothole, wobbling into the road to avoid falling off your bike altogether.  
“Arghhh I don’t have time for this anyway!!”  
You scold yourself, picking up the pace as you fly down the hill. 

Your rusty breaks let out a dying screech which causes quite a few people to glare in your direction as you abruptly pull up alongside the tiny coffee shop that miraculously hasn’t fired you yet.  
Locking the bike up in record time you scurry through the front doors.  
“Hey I’m sorry I-”  
“You’re late.” Your coworker deadpans before you can even start with the excuses.  
You give her a lopsided grin as you sheepishly slip on your apron and join her behind the counter.  
“Heyyy it’s not even busy yet! It’s fiiiine!”  
She replies only with a scrupulous glare as she sorts out the change in the cash register. Despite being practically the same age she always gives you the worlds strongest ‘disapproving parent’ vibes.  
“I’m just amazed you haven’t been fired yet Y/N.” She says with a sigh, leaning her elbows on the counter.  
“You’re not the only one, but c’mon Sam you’d miss me if I got fired!”  
You retort, nudging her back as you pass.  
“Don’t push your luck…” You hear her call as you go to write your name on the backroom rota. 

The day passes sluggishly, with only a few customers trickling in every now an again.  
You chat aimlessly with Sam before she slumps off to do her turn of cleaning the cafe bathrooms.  
Finally, a customer catches your eye as they awkwardly open the door, standing there with a deer in the headlights expression that makes you almost think they stumbled in here from some alternate timeline.  
You can see straight away that she’s a gem rather than a human, her magenta skin being the most obvious giveaway. She has these spiky pigtails sticking out from either side of her head, making you smile. A worried frown is furrowing her brow, and her hands are shoved deeply into the pockets of the jacket she’s wearing-it suits her. You can just see the sparkle her complex faceted gem as it pokes out from the top of her buttoned up shirt. 

“Hey there! What can I get you?”  
You call over, making her jump as if she’d been zoning out, and she walks over to you.  
Her eyes dart up to the board above your head and you can’t help but notice just how striking they are, bands of pink hues that are almost hypnotic to look at.  
You kick that thought swiftly in the ass and tell yourself to stop staring like an absolute weirdo, not that she’s particularly noticed.  
“I uh haven’t had coffee before…”  
You hear her mumble. She’s staring the board down like it’s the worlds most complex mathematical equation, and you have to stifle your smile.  
“Hmm well-do you like cold drinks or hot drinks more?”  
Her eyes finally shift back down to yours and she gives you this adorable lopsided toothy grin.  
“Uhh cold I guess.”  
“Awesome-What about sweetness?”  
She’s still fixing you with that magenta gaze and you can swear her coloured pupils are almost pulsating.  
You give up pretending you’re not staring.  
“Sweet things for sure, tha sweeter tha better.”  
You notice her slip into a slight accent as she says this to you, and you again have to tell yourself to get a grip over how cute it sounds to your ears.  
“Ah ha! I can definitely work my magic now.”  
You tell her with a wink, making sure not to miss the way it makes a faint blush appear on her striped cheeks.  
“I’m thinking an iced mocha with extra syrup in it, it’s like a uh coffee chocolate milkshake thingy…you’ll love it!”  
You awkwardly ramble this to her as you busy yourself at the drink station, back turned and trying to pretend you can’t feel her eyes following your every move as you make up her order.  
You’re quickly turning back to her with her drink, just in time to see her phase out some money from her gem in a flash of light that for a second leaves you dumbfounded, before you remember gems are basically walking storage units.  
She slides the note across the counter to you with one gloved hand, fingers brushing yours as you fumble handing her drink over, and try to act like that stupidly small interaction wasn’t a big deal to you.  
She also drops a generous amount of change into your tip jar as she turns, shooting you a shy smile as she walks towards the window seats at the front of the cafe. 

You stand there like a frozen idiot for much longer than you’d like to admit, before another customer appears and jolts you out of your daydreams.  
This is pathetic, she’s literally a stranger who you talked to for a grand total of like two minutes!  
You berate yourself internally, frowning as you mix up a customers latte.  
Every now and again you find your eyes drifting to the front of the cafe.  
You can clearly see her strikingly pink form huddled in one of the armchairs, facing away from you so that she can people-watch the street outside. Her jagged pigtails stick out behind her, giving her a prickly, unapproachable air.  
But she seemed…anxious. You guess she must have just moved here, maybe she doesn’t really know anyone yet?  
You think all this as you autopilot another drink order and hand it over distractedly to the customer waiting. 

Your coworker Sam eventually appears with an inventory checklist and busies herself behind you with the fridge under the counter.  
Business gradually begins to pick up speed as tired post-university students enter the cafe In droves, leaving you with little time to daydream various gem-related questions or to sneak glances at the gem in question. 

By the time things start to ease a good hour later you notice her spot at the front of the cafe is empty, leaving you feeling strangely disappointed.  
Not that you should feel that, you don’t even know anything about her!  
Well, besides the fact she has a sweet tooth. 

“Heads up Y/N-you can head home, I can close up by myself.” Sam calls to you from the back.  
“Thanks, I really need to go catch the shops before I go home.”  
You head into the back room of the cafe and hang your apron up on the far wall. Sam looks up and squints incredulously at you as you pass.  
“Dude what?”  
“You look…down. Why? Did a customer throw a hissy fit at you?”  
This takes you aback for a second, cursing how easy your face is to read and hurry back to the front of the cafe to avoid this awkward conversation. You call over your shoulder,  
“Nahh nothing like that I’m fine, just in a rush as usual.”  
You hear Sam snort at this as she shouts a final retort at you as you bustle out the door  
“Actually get here on time tomorrow!”  
Smirking at this you haul your bike off the bike rack, admiring the golden sunset light as it slants across the pavement. 

As you fly down the hill towards the nearest supermarket someone incredibly magenta catches your eye.  
Without thinking you screech to an unruly stop, making a lady across the street glare at you.  
“Um-‘“  
She turns to you with a bewildered expression as you hop off your bike, trying to catch your breath and also think of something to say that won’t make you look like some kind of stalker.  
“I’m sorry I uh just got off work and spotted you on my way to the shops and I-well you looked like you were new to the area I mean and uh”  
You mentally punch yourself at this sorry attempt at conversation before she suddenly starts laughing.  
This catches you by surprise, watching as her striped cheeks crinkle up as she flashes you a grin.  
“ So you uh, decided to chase me down on ya’ bike?” She says, raising an eyebrow at you.  
You can feel you face heat up in utter embarrassment.  
“Sorry. That was weird. But um, if you ever want someone to talk to or uh anything let me know. I know it's like unnerving when you first move somewhere like this.”  
You trail off lamely, but her expression softens. She looks bashful for a second, looking down as she kicks at the pavement.  
“Thanks…I uh don’t really know anyone here, ya right. It was really nice of ya’ to want to talk t’ me.”  
You brighten slightly at this, maybe there’s something to be salvaged here after all.  
“I work Tuesdays to Fridays in that cafe, it’s normally pretty quiet in the mornings and evenings if you ever want to uh chat.”  
She hits you again with a toothy smirk, and you can’t help but smile in response.  
“I promise I won’t chase you down on my bike anymore either”  
You add with a wink, giving her your own lopsided grin as you swing a leg back over your bike.  
She gives a breathy laugh to this as you wobble your way back onto the road.  
“See you soon, yeah?” You call over your shoulder as you head off down the hill, erratically evading various parked cars.  
“Yeah, s’a promise!” You just manage to hear her call back. 

All the rest of the way down to the shop has you grinning like an idiot, and this time you don’t bother trying to hide the fact that you’re looking forward to seeing her again.


	4. Chapter 4: Rain and Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day at the cafe and another chance meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a little while longer! Real life caught up to me a bit, I really enjoyed writing this one though! Let me know what you think and again, thank you to everyone who gave Kudos! 
> 
> Disclaimer- I live in the UK and the only big cities I've been in are here, mainly London so I'm going to be basing things off of that.......UK AU I guess lol
> 
> Also- Sorry if anyone here IS named after a rock, I threw you under the bus in this chapter slightly hahaha

You sit bolt upright in bed. 

Something just occurred to you as you were drifting off…you never asked her for her fucking name!   
“What sort of…idiot doesn’t ask someone their name!”   
You groan into your palms, wondering how rude you came off as…you’ve got to fix this. 

At 9am you find yourself brushing your teeth with grim determination. Even though you’re working today there’s no guarantee she’ll come in…after all, the first time was only by chance. I mean…she was walking down St.Cathrine’s Street when you rode past her the other day, but you’re not going to just wander around hoping she’ll pop up, that would be incredibly weird.   
You spit your toothpaste out dejectedly, guess you’ll just have to hope she’ll want coffee again so you can finally ask her for her name. 

As if to make things harder, it’s absolutely pissing it down when you finally run out to grab your bike. Your coat hangs limply around you as you kick off the curb with your already soggy trainers.   
Despite the raindrops running off your eyebrows obscuring 90% of your view, you manage to fight your way to the cafe, chaining your bike up outside before heading in. 

Peeling off your hood, you look towards the counter to see…no one.   
You feel there’s no way in hell you managed to beat Sam here, something that hasn’t happened in the two years you’ve been working at the cafe.   
You hurry to the back and hang your coat up, ignoring the small puddle forming underneath it as you shrug on your work apron.   
Fishing in your pocket for your phone, you notice Sam’s curt style of texting pop up on the screen as you pull it out. 

“Y/N. I’m off sick today, sorry dude. (NO excuse for being late!!)” 

You feel yourself deflate slightly as you read this…today will be even more monotonous than usual. With a sigh you head back out and lean on the front room counter idly, watching the raindrops scatter down the front windows of the cafe outside.   
People drift to and fro across the street, brightly coloured umbrellas in tow. A few commuters trickle in for morning orders as you eye the clock, knowing you have hours to go with just you on shift.   
At last, like a stray sunbeam, one of your favourite customers comes through the door.   
“Hey Bronwyn, nice to see you.”  
You call as she spots you. She’s always been one of your more interesting customers, from her cropped, undercut, salt and pepper hair down to her suit shoes and jacket…let’s be honest she is practically radiating lesbian energy. She meets your eyes and there’s always just..a knowing, shared look between you two. She’s always taken a shine to you, like some amazing lesbian guardian angel.  
You lean over the counter to spot the second best thing about her.   
“Hey Baxter! How goes it?”   
An impossibly droopy basset hound gazes back at you sadly.   
“He’s excited to see you really, trust me.”   
She chuckles as she makes her way over to you, corralling a slow moving Baxter behind her.   
“The usual I’m guessing?”   
You say with a smile as you turn to start her order off.   
“Hang on a second missy! I want to know how you’ve been doing first!”  
She scolds you gently, leaning her elbows on the counter.   
This makes you pause, thinking how on Earth to answer that.   
“I uh…I’m not even sure? It’s been a weird few days…”   
She quirks an eyebrow at this and waits for you to say more, expectantly.   
“Well I formally met a Gem for the first time? She was in here just the other day…”   
You can already feel your cheeks heating up as you say this, conveniently avoiding Bronwyn’s eyes to stare across the partially filled cafe.   
“Oh? Do tell!”   
You can practically hear the smirk in her voice as she chides you into giving her details.  
“Well she’s…very pink? Like pink all over but she had this like cool embroidered jacket on and her gem was right here-”  
You gesture vaguely at your chest.   
“-But I couldn’t really tell what shape it was meant to be-maybe a diamond? She seemed really sweet though! But a bit unsure? Like she’d just moved here which I think she has and uh…yeah…”  
You trail off your ramble, cheeks tinged pink as Bronwyn gives you a much too knowing look.   
“She sounds great kid, don’t let this one slip away!”   
She adds a wink as you balk, trying to splutter out an indignant response.   
“Hold it! I’m not saying anything else! You guys should just hang out again, see where it goes.”   
You pout, even though you know she’s right, and turn to make her drink.   
“I didn’t even ask her name when she was in here…I’ll just have to count on her coming in here again…”   
You hear Bronwyn chuckle over your shoulder.   
“If it’s you, she won’t be able to stay away for long!”   
You scoff at this but can’t help but smile all the same as you turn back to Bronwyn with her order, handing it to her across the counter.   
“Thanks for being my hype man I guess.”   
You say this with a smirk and she laughs, turning to make her way back towards the door.   
“It’s what I’m here for! Good luck though Y/N, I’m sure it’ll all shake out either way!”   
You give a halfhearted wave and a much more genuine smile as she heads out the door, holding it open for Baxter behind her.   
Although you’re sceptical about her advice, talking with Bronwyn did cheer you up, maybe she’s right, things might shake out fine in the end. 

The next few hours drag by without much activity, this time of day normally has less people than the evenings anyway.   
As predicted, things do start to pick up around the time people start to leave work, meaning your last few hours are spent in a hectic routine of pouring coffee after coffee.   
You finally get a moment to breathe as the last couple people head out a few minutes before closing.   
But, just as the door swings shut behind them, someone incredibly pink catches your eye. 

She looks timid, maybe slightly nervous? As she walks in, but a lopsided grin appears on her face as she spots you leaning on the counter, causing you to grin back at her.   
But you quickly jolt upright as you suddenly remember what you’ve got to do.   
“Wait wait! First, I’m really sorry I didn’t ask your name the other day, I hope I didn’t come off as super rude…”  
She freezes for a second as you practically yell the first bit of this across to her, but then she starts to laugh, making her way over to you, tip of her gem catching brightly in the overhead lights.   
“That’s what you’re worried about? Y’know, I didn’t exactly ask ya’ for a name either.”   
She says this with a grin, and you feel like an idiot for getting worked up over this in the first place.   
“Still though! It felt kind of rude of me not to ask so uh-lets start over-”  
You jokily stick your hand towards her, puffing out your chest.   
“Nice to meet you! I’ve never properly talked to a Gem before, what’s your name?”   
She scoffs at your mock-formal schtick, but takes your hand in hers anyway, still wearing those clothes from the other day. She meets your gaze, and you realise she’s ever so slightly shorter than you.   
Despite looking like an idiot you can’t help but be pulled in by those pupils again now you’re seeing them up close. They really were bands of pink, like some hypnotic pattern…   
“Nice to meet ya, name’s Spinel.”   
You snap out of attempting to stare a hole straight through her and look down at both of your hands still clasped together.   
“Spinel huh? Like the rock? I mean…that makes sense.”   
That lopsided grin returns as she gives you an incredulous look, raising one eyebrow.   
“Ya weren’t kidding about not knowing other Gems were ya? We’re all named like that.”   
“Huh. Well alas I’m not named after a rock to my knowledge, just Y/N.”   
You say this with a wink, giving her a stupidly animated handshake as you say this.   
She laughs, her striped cheeks turning a slightly darker magenta, and you think to yourself that it’s one of the nicest laughs you’ve heard.   
You let go of her hand and go back to leaning on the counter.   
“So you here for more coffee or just to see me?”   
You say this with an over-exaggerated wink but it still seems to fluster her as she darts her eyes away, frowning slightly.   
“Well…Ya said if I didn’t know anyone you’d uh- I don’t know…show me around or somethin’?”   
Spinel stuffs her hands deep in her pockets as she mumbles this to you, frowning to herself in what you can only guess is embarrassment.   
“Yeah no worries! I’m off In a few minutes, how about I show you somewhere cool? Insider info, free of charge.”   
She brightens at this and manages to meet your eyes again, shoulders relaxing slightly. She’s got an…almost searching look in her eyes as she stares at you, like she’s puzzling something out.   
Before you can think on this much more you grab a dishcloth to wipe down the machines, turning away from her.   
“Don’t worry about it! Today has been pretty meh, you’re basically saving me. Just chill for a second I’ll try and get everything locked up quickly.” 

You dash into the back room to grab your coat and bag, grinning to yourself in excitement for the evening ahead. As you turn to head back out to Spinel, you notice the rain has finally stopped, the sun pushing its way through the clouds.   
The change in weather feels like the icing on top of the cake, and you know you’re really going to enjoy this.


	5. The Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel and Y/N hang out, although the place Y/N chooses is certainly a...coincidence. Gem questions are asked, lots of blushing happens, and bike riding makes its return.

Spinel watches as you hurry out of the back room, wearing a still soggy raincoat as you jog back over to her.  
Apprehension claws at the Gem’s stomach. She’s not used to getting to know new people, let alone humans…she’s also struggling to understand why someone like Y/N would want to know her, it just didn’t make much sense. 

With a sigh Spinel turns and gestures to the door.  
“Ladies first?”  
She says with a grin. You stick your tongue out at her.  
“I ain’t no lady! I’m made of tougher stuff.”  
She snorts in response as you lead the way out of the cafe, locking the door behind you.  
“Okay so, I gotta lug my bike with us but! I’ve thought of somewhere really cool! It’s about ten minutes away so not far.”  
You ramble excitedly as you bend down to undo the padlock on your old bike, wheeling it alongside Spinel who stares down at it.  
“Still don’t get how ya’ ride these things, it’s kinda weird.”  
She smirks, jerking a thumb at the rusty frame. This makes you stop for a second though, a grin appearing on your face.  
“Oh my god…of course you wouldn’t know how to ride a bike! God next I’ll have to teach you wow.”  
Spinel’s face blanches.  
“Uhhh I reeally don’t know about that…”  
“Don’t worry I don’t mean right now! We’d need to go to a park or something with uh, soft bits to fall onto.”  
She grimaces at this again before something seems to come to mind as she glances at you.  
“There is a park near my place actually…”  
“Oh? Which bit of the city d’you live in?”  
She squints thoughtfully as she walks before replying, her gangly legs keeping up with you and your bike easily.  
“It’s uhh…across the big bridge? In a…tall apartment block right near the park?”  
You giggle at her vague response.  
“Wow Spinel you really are new! I think I get where you meant though and dang, ritzy area, better than my gross ass shack.”  
She gives you a puzzled look at this, maybe sarcasm isn’t the best thing to use on her.  
“I uhh don’t actually live in a shack.”  
You laugh, nudging her with your elbow, and she rolls her eyes back at you.  
“Oh also…”  
You begin, wondering if what you’re about to say would come off as weird.  
“What’s up?”  
She raises an eyebrow at you, fixing you with her striking eyes. You have to look away before continuing.  
“Well uh I just meant to say I um really like your jacket, it really suits you. It was the first thing I thought when I saw you.”  
You feel your face heat up as you say this, and although you’re not looking you can tell her eyes are on you.  
“Oh…thanks.”  
You sneak a look over to see a slight smile on her darker-hued face, she looks bashful.  
“I really gotta go clothes shopping when my next pay cheque comes in, there’s only so many times I can wear cringey t-shirts I bought when I was sixteen-oh! Look we’re almost there!”  
You gesture at the tall building across the street, a yellow railing running alongside the outer flights of concrete stairs winding up against the side of the building.  
“And uh, where is here?”  
Spinel replies incredulously as you haul your bike onto a nearby bike rack.  
“Just wait! It’s a surprise!”  
You gesture for her to follow you up the stairs, clambering up them in excitement with her by your side. You’re more out of breath when you reach the top than you’d like to admit.  
Spinel lets out a small ‘oh!’ beside you.  
The entire rooftop has been turned into a garden, with numerous tables interspersed and a small bar tucked away on one side.  
Groups and pairs of people sit around chatting in the sunny late afternoon, enjoying the peaceful green surroundings so different from the rest of the city.  
You look at Spinel to gauge her reaction and see something like sadness flash across her face. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea? Did she not like it? You were sure a beautiful place like this would impress her…  
Spinel’s silent for a second as if lost in thought, before turning to you.  
“Sorry I jus’ wasn’t expectin’ this. It’s lovely up here though.”  
She gives you a small smile as she says this, but it’s still tinged with a sadness you can’t place. You’re not sure what’s going through her mind, but your first idea of comforting her is to take her hand without thinking, gently leading her to an empty little table slightly away from the other people.  
You let go as you take your seat, facing her. Her eyes still looked dazed as she returns your gaze, but her adorable lopsided grin has returned.  
“So…can Gem’s even drink alcohol? Like can you even get drunk?”  
You ask skeptically, elbows leaning on the small garden table.  
“Think so? Gem’s can eat an’ drink anythin’ humans can.”  
She shrugs, scratching the back of her head.  
“Can’t say I’ve uh, ever drank alcohol though.”  
You run through a list of drinks in your mind before replying.  
“Hmm well you have a bit of a sweet tooth right? So I’m guessing you’d uhh like something like fruit cider? It’s not that strong, and if you don’t like it I’ll chug it.”  
You smile at her as you go to stand. She starts to follow you before you reach over and place a hand firmly on her shoulder.  
“Wait wait! I’m treating today.”  
You say this with a wink, admiring the blush on her striped cheeks with a chuckle as you turn towards the bar.  
“Sit tight! Two seconds.” 

Spinel sits back down on the rickety garden chair. This is…interesting. Various conflicting thoughts swirl up inside her. Y/N is so…easygoing. Just talking to you puts her at ease. But…of all the places you could’ve gone…a garden? Really? It seemed like some giant cosmic irony.  
Spinel felt her breathing quicken as she thought of the other garden where she’d spent the majority of her life until recently.  
Gripping her arm tightly she forced herself to take deep breaths, closing her eyes.  
This wasn’t like that.  
She wasn’t alone here.  
When she opened her eyes again she allowed herself to fully take in the rooftop garden. It was beautifully cared for, various flowers and produce thriving in raised beds throughout. The babble of others conversations washed over her, as well as the clinking of glasses and bottles. The sun skimmed the nearby taller buildings, filling the whole rooftop with warm, comforting light.  
All of this was so different from the garden she knew, far off in space with no sunlight to touch it.  
Just dead plants and silence.  
Spinel looked up suddenly to see you wobbling back over with two full glasses, a smile breaking out on your face as your eyes met.  
Spinel couldn’t help but grin back affectionately. You placed the glasses down triumphantly.  
“Didn’t spill a drop! Pure skills over here.”  
You flexed your bicep comically and waggled your eyebrows, causing Spinel to laugh, she feels lighter already. 

“Okay so I got you uh rhubarb cider. I know that’ll probably sound weird but trust me it’s genuinely good, and sweet!”  
You talk animatedly as Spinel eyes up the ruby red liquid.  
“What’d you get?”  
“Oh, vodka and juice. Still haven’t grown out of my uni days.”  
You grab the glass and take a swig, Spinel mirroring you more cautiously.  
“Huh, not bad Y/N.”  
Your brain feels like it stutters slightly at hearing her speak your name, but you manage to hold your composure.  
“I am a human of many talents, drinks knowledge being one of them.”  
You smirk to yourself, trying to cover up how easily she flustered you.  
“So…is it rude if I ask you some Gem questions?”  
You ask this slowly, looking down into your drink rather than at her.  
“Shoot, s’no big deal, unless you tried to touch someone’s Gem I guess.”  
“Why? Would that be rude?”  
You ask, confused, only further added to by a deep blush appearing on Spinel’s cheeks as she looks away.  
“A Gem’s gemstone is uh…very sensitive t’ touch.”  
Your own blush suddenly appears.  
“Oh! Oh no don’t worry I wouldn’t ask anything like that! I uh mainly wondered what shape your gem was!”  
You add, desperately trying to change the subject beyond gemstone sensitivity. Spinel looks down at her party buttoned shirt, gloved hands reaching to undo the next few as you feel incredibly grateful knowing at least that nudity isn’t really the same for Gems.  
Her hands fall to the table again and you realise you’re staring at a heart, albeit an upside down one.  
“Oh wow!”  
You breathe under your breath, leaning in slightly across the table to take in the complex fractal facets of her gemstone. It’s hypnotically beautiful the way it catches and spills the light with each breath she takes.  
You also notice small scuffs and cuts across some areas of the surface. Huh, guess Gems can sort of get injured too.  
You lean back to look into her eyes, meeting an incredibly dark-magenta-faced Spinel. She quickly buttons her shirt again so only the top of her gem is visible.  
“Thank you for showing me, it’s beautiful! I had no idea gems could be shapes like that for you guys.”  
At the word beautiful her blush only seems to deepen. Frowning slightly she leans her cheek on her hand, avoiding your gaze.  
“Well it’s ah…rare, this shape, not many heart shaped gems around.”  
“Sorry, we don’t have to keep talking Gem stuff if it makes you uncomfortable.”  
You quickly reply, worried you’ve made her feel awkward. Her eyebrows raise, eyes meeting yours again.  
“Oh, no it’s fine, jus’…no ones ever taken this much interest before, it’s surprisin’ is all.”  
She’s still fixing you with an intense stare, those eyes really do take your breath away.  
“Sorry though, it’s all so new to me! I’ve never talked to a Gem for more than just a passing conversation…oh! That’s a question! Is it true Gem’s can shape-shift?”  
“Well uhh some of us? Not all of us though. I can’t completely but uh I can do somethin’ similar?”  
Before you can ask what she means her arm stretches suddenly out and across the roof garden. She picks up an empty beer bottle someone had left, retracting her arm equally as fast. You sit there in shock for a moment.  
“Jesus that must be useful though, you’re like some sort of superhero, Elastigirl or something!”  
“Who?”  
She shoots you a confused look, putting the bottle down by her shoes.  
“Oh my god I need to educate you on Earth stuff! Right, next time you’re coming round mine and we’re gonna watch so many classic Earth movies!”  
Her lopsided toothy grin flashes at you and she looks across at you fondly, making your heart skip.  
“Sure, I’d like that.” 

An hour or two later you find yourself heading back down the stairs next to Spinel, laughing as she listens to you energetically describe why organised sport in P.E was the bane of your existence. You can’t tell if it’s the buzz from the alcohol or not but every time you glance up at her your stomach twists. She’s so uniquely beautiful, from her intense eyes to her adorably striped cheeks, to her almost fang-like teeth when she laughs. Her gem continuously catches in the setting sun, causing a kaleidoscope of light to dazzle you almost as much as her face does. You wonder if she’d let you touch it one day, imagining how smooth the surface must be, how she’d react to your gentle touch…  
Nope nope nope. We are not doing this Y/N.  
You shake your head slightly to rid yourself of these thoughts as you reach street level, heading over to unlock your bike.  
“You okay for getting home? I could…give you a lift?”  
You gesture to the back rack of the bike, just enough room to take another person.  
Spinel looks taken aback at your offer, but smirks and shrugs her shoulders, walking over to you.  
“What tha’ hell, jus’ don’t throw me off I guess.”  
Your heart starts beating faster as you realise just how close she’ll be due to your impulse decision.  
“Luckily the way back is mostly flat to your place I think so you’ll probably get there in one piece.”  
You swing your leg over and steady yourself, gesturing to the space behind you and very much pretending to not be nervous.  
“Just hop on, won’t be too bad I promise.”  
You add with a smile, she eyes the bike up for a second longer before swinging a leg over as well, sitting stiffly behind you.  
“Just keep your feet outta the wheel and hold on!”  
With a grunt she hesitantly wraps her arms around your middle as your heart hammers on. You kick off from the curb and wobble for a few seconds, feeling her grip you ever so slightly tighter as you find your balance.  
“Just enjoy the sights!”  
You call to her, smiling over your shoulder.  
The City streams past you as you weave around people expertly on the pedestrian street. The giant river flanks your right as you ride along, the low orange light of the sun catching on its restless surface.  
You swing right onto the big bridge shortly after, the supports climbing high above you as you free cycle across the flat surface. You hear a whispered ‘whoa’ from Spinel as she takes in the beautiful sunset as it sinks down low and bright behind the buildings up river. You smile, glad that she’s enjoying looking at the city.  
You weave down onto the bike lane as you come amongst the cars, using all your concentration to avoid the numerous shitty drivers. The feeling of Spinel wrapped around you is ever present though, and it makes your heart flutter. 

Soon you’re pulling up alongside the towering apartment block near the park that you guessed was hers.  
“Is this the one?”  
You say, putting a leg on the curb to steady the bike as you turn to face her.  
“Yeah…”  
She replies, sounding breathless, unwrapping her arms from you, your body missing the warmth of them already. She stumbles off the bike and onto the pavement.  
“You a fan of bike rides yet?”  
You say cheekily, jumping off onto the pavement next to her.  
She turns to you, eyes full of wonder and a grin on her face.  
“Y/N that…that was amazin’, wow, thank you.”  
You blush at hearing her speak your name again.  
“No worries, anytime, It’s the best way to see the city.”  
Awkwardly you go to get on your bike again, avoiding her gaze when she suddenly reaches out and catches your hand.  
“Wait-”  
Before you can react she’s wrapping her long limbs around you in a tight hug, lasting only a heartbeat or two before she pulls away.  
“I mean it, thanks for everythin’ today.”  
A blush is back on her striped cheeks as she looks down at you, hands shyly in her jacket pockets.  
This Gem is going to be the death of you.  
You swing your leg over your bike and look into those striking eyes again.  
“It’s been really great Spinel, swing by the cafe soon yeah?”  
You grin at her as you push off the curb.  
“You know it Y/N. See ya’ soon.”  
She gives you one last wave as you swing round the corner, a smile plastered on your red cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY TO ANYONE STILL READING THIS I got very caught up in University and writing my Dissertation, which very ironically is shorter than this fic so far haha  
> I hope people still check this chapter out, I had a lot of fun writing it! As usual let me know what you think in the comments, Kudos is appreciated! 
> 
> Also, the rooftop bar is a real place on the Southbank in London! The city is loosely based on London as its the biggest city I've been too, hence the giant river as well..! 
> 
> Also also, yes the rhubarb cinder is a real thing and it fucking slaps, next question 
> 
> Really hope the next chapter won't take as long as this one! Also I think I reversed the height dynamic, oh no.

**Author's Note:**

> (Basically, Spinel moves to a big city apartment so she can be herself, but somewhere where there is still lots of people so she’s not isolated, but also not in space with reminders of Homeworld and Pink. Steven helps her get a small apartment and some IKEA furniture, and she vows to pay him back somehow, even though he insists she doesn’t need to.   
> Spinel realises coffee shops are great places to relax and observe humans, to finally learn how to socialise and be in a healthy friendship, but she wasn’t counting on meeting anyone like you…  
> Although I’ve done writing before this is my first fanfic, so be nice please! It’s going to be a self insert x Spinel fic but I want to focus on Spinel settling in for the first few chapters. It’ll be mainly from her POV, but might switch as we meet Y/N.) 


End file.
